WALLDORF — SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) today announced it is establishing a global network of 3D printing co-innovation labs to educate and enable customers, employees and partners on the adoption of additive manufacturing as an integral part of the manufacturing production line.

Unveiled in conjunction with charter co-innovation partner Stratasys Ltd. (Nasdaq: SSYS), the 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions company, this initiative builds on SAP’s more than 40 years of experience across the industry. Digital manufacturing and co-innovation sites are currently being rolled out across Paris, France; Johannesburg, South Africa; Walldorf, Germany; and Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, and Palo Alto, California, in the United States.

“SAP and Stratasys share a common vision of the tremendous value distributed manufacturing brings to customers’ supply chains,” said Pat Carey, senior vice president, Sales, North America, Stratasys. “Harnessing this potential fully requires that 3D printing be seamlessly integrated with enterprise workflows for certification, planning, procurement and production. By participating in this initiative, it’s now possible to combine SAP’s leadership in these areas with our premier 3D printing solutions and services ecosystem. We look forward to further driving 3D printing adoption with these co-innovation customers.”

The SAP Distributed Manufacturing application is intended to make 3D printing a valuable part of digital manufacturing by helping co-innovation customers and partners to transform the extended supply chain. Services related to SAP Distributed Manufacturing connect 3D printing to familiar business processes to help manufacturers achieve production and logistical cost savings and reduce complex supply chain issues. The new 3D printing co-innovation facilities offered by SAP will provide an interactive learning and design thinking environment. It enables SAP customers, partners and employees to further develop and test active business cases and applications of the latest distributed manufacturing technology.

“Manufacturers and their suppliers and production partners increasingly recognize the potential of 3D printing in smart digital supply chain strategies that are optimized with unprecedented speed and efficiency,” said Hans Thalbauer, senior vice president, Extended Supply Chain and IoT, SAP. “SAP is fast building a co-innovation network with leaders like Stratasys that share our vision for making connected, real-time distributed manufacturing a reality for our customers.”

For more than 25 years, Stratasys Ltd. (NASDAQ:SSYS) has been a defining force and dominant player in 3D printing and additive manufacturing – shaping the way things are made. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Rehovot, Israel, the company empowers customers across a broad range of vertical markets by enabling new paradigms for design and manufacturing. The company’s solutions provide customers with unmatched design freedom and manufacturing flexibility – reducing time-to-market and lowering development costs, while improving designs and communications. Stratasys subsidiaries include MakerBot and Solidscape, and the Stratasys ecosystem includes 3D printers for prototyping and production; a wide range of 3D printing materials; parts on-demand via Stratasys Direct Manufacturing; strategic consulting and professional services; and the Thingiverse and GrabCAD communities with over 2 million 3D printable files for free designs. With more than 2,700 employees and 1,200 granted or pending additive manufacturing patents, Stratasys has received more than 30 technology and leadership awards. Visit us online at www.stratasys.com or http://blog.stratasys.com, and follow us on LinkedIn.

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